Nine players of Nigerian descent were on show at London Colney as Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Southampton B in the Premier League 2 Division 1 curtain raiser yesterday.
Left-back Tolaji Bola and central midfielder Miguel Azeez were joined in Arsenal’s starting lineup by Daniel Oyegoke, James Olayinka, Ryan Alebiosu and Folarin Balogun, while summer signing from Huddersfield Town, Tim Akinola entered the game as a substitute at minute 63.
As for Southampton, Belgium youth international Kazeem Olaigbe started while former Arsenal schoolboy David Agbontohoma entered the fray in the 84th minute.
Arsenal’s Ben Cottrell slotted past goalkeeper Harry Lewis from close range to open the scoring in the 11th minute but the Saints got back on level terms through Josh Sims three minutes after the restart.
Kegs Chauke scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 64th minute.
Republic of Ireland U19 center back Mazeed Ogungbo watched proceedings from the bench for the entirety of the game and his Arsenal teammate Arthur Okonkwo wasn’t included in the matchday squad.
Tim Akinola has now made two competitive appearances for Arsenal’s youth teams this season, having featured off the bench in the EFL Trophy win against Ipswich Town on September 8.
